Fields of study:

Research interests:

My work runs the gamut from modeling how changing land use on watersheds alters the geochemistry of receiving waters to understanding how climate change and nutrient enrichment alters the structure and function of microbial communities. In particular I have been focusing on both how human activities are altering the structure and function of microbial communities and in turn how microbial communities can help ameliorate pollution from human sources. There is a lot to be learned about the exact nature of the interaction between microbial communities and their biogeochemical function and we explore these interactions using a multi-'omics approach. I use a combination of field and mesocosm experiments, numerical modeling, biogeochemical flux measurements, and molecular methods to understand how changing microbial community composition and gene expression correlate with changes in geochemistry.

Finally, I have a particular interest in nitrogen cycling in salt marshes. Marshes are critically important because of their location between land and sea and because they are able to intercept land-derived nitrogen before in reaches fragile estuarine ecosystems. We need to understand how the microbial communities in salt marshes respond to increases in nitrogen loads if we are to protect our precious coastal resources. I have active research ongoing in salt marshes on Cape Cod and I am currently accepting applications for graduate students to continue work on this project.

Check out our research page to find out more about the projects we have!

Education:

Council on Science and Technology Teaching Fellow, Princeton University (2007-2010)